SF 2828

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to energy; establishing renewable energy 
  1.3             working group to study renewable energy development in 
  1.4             the state; requiring a report. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [DEFINITION.] 
  1.7      "Legislative electric energy task force (LEETF) staff" 
  1.8   means the staff members of the office of senate counsel and 
  1.9   research and the house research department responsible for 
  1.10  providing legislative drafting and policy analysis to the LEETF. 
  1.11     Sec. 2.  [RENEWABLE ENERGY WORKING GROUP.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [MEMBERSHIP.] By June 15, 2004, LEETF staff 
  1.13  shall convene a renewable energy working group consisting of the 
  1.14  following 12 members, one representative from each of the 
  1.15  following groups:  investor-owned utilities, municipal electric 
  1.16  utilities, cooperative electric associations, environmental 
  1.17  advocates, developers of large-scale wind energy projects, 
  1.18  community energy developers, local governments, business 
  1.19  customers, biomass or other renewable energy projects, the 
  1.20  residential utility unit of the office of the Minnesota attorney 
  1.21  general, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and the Midwest 
  1.22  Independent System Operator. 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [APPOINTMENT.] The chairs of the senate and house 
  1.24  of representatives committees with primary jurisdiction over 
  1.25  energy policy shall jointly appoint the working group members. 
  2.1      Subd. 3.  [CHARGE.] (a) The renewable energy working group 
  2.2   shall recommend specific goals and strategies to accelerate the 
  2.3   development of renewable energy production and use in Minnesota, 
  2.4   over the next five-, ten-, and 20-year periods. 
  2.5      (b) In developing its recommendations, the working group 
  2.6   shall: 
  2.7      (1) compile an inventory of existing renewable energy 
  2.8   projects in Minnesota, and any projects known to be under 
  2.9   development; 
  2.10     (2) determine the extent to which current and future 
  2.11  planned electric transmission capacity in the state may be a 
  2.12  constraint to the development of renewable energy production in 
  2.13  the state; 
  2.14     (3) recommend how existing state programs to develop 
  2.15  renewable energy should be amended, coordinated, and integrated; 
  2.16     (4) recommend the establishment of new state programs to 
  2.17  develop renewable energy, if necessary; and 
  2.18     (5) develop specific milestones for achieving the goals it 
  2.19  establishes. 
  2.20     Subd. 4.  [REPORT.] The renewable energy working group 
  2.21  shall present its findings and recommendations in a report to 
  2.22  the LEETF by December 1, 2004.